This invention is related to tie rods for use in concrete wall form construction to hold the walls in spaced relation for placement and curing of concrete. More particularly, this invention relates to seal members for use with the tie rods.
In concrete wall form construction, generally plannar walls made of wood are oriented in spaced, generally parallel relation to act as a mould for subsequent receiving of wet concrete. Steel reinforcing bars may be, and in fact often are placed between the walls to add integrity to the finished wall structure. The walls are temporarily held together by cone and tie assemblies comprised of tie rods, cones or insert members and form dogs which are typically wedge shaped structures. The tie rods are inserted through aligned bores in the walls so that the ends thereof extend exterior to the wall for clamping. Frustoconically shaped insert members or cones are located on the tie rods between stops thereon and the wall interior surface for the purpose of maintaining spacing of the walls as well as forming depressions in the finished wall about the tie rod. The depressions thus formed enable breaking off the tie rods within the wall and subsequent grouting to the finished surface which is free from protruberances or other discontinuities. The forms are locked up by means of form dogs or wedges which are inserted between buttons or heads on the tie rod ends and wales on the form exterior.
A number of prior art patents illustrate parts of the structure referred to as follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,245,559; 2,370,174; 2,728,127; 2,977,659; 3,075,272; 3,464,667; 3,482,813; 3,625,471; 3,643,909; and 3,653,628.
It has been found that one of the most persistent problems encountered with concrete wall form construction thus described is that of sealing of the wall form bores through which the tie rods pass to prevent egress of wet concrete and moisture. Wet concrete is made up of a mixture of cement, aggregate, and water in desired proportions. The wet concrete when placed between the walls of the form tends to run out the wall form bores, producing undesirable results. One such result is the fouling of the exterior hardware such as dogs and wedges. The leaked material tends to "set up" on the surface of these structures which requires costly remedial cleaning procedures. Another result is the degredation in concrete wall strength since the moisture is needed for proper curing of the concrete during the time after placement. Still another result is the production of rough edges around the depressions in the finished wall formed by the cones. These rough edges must be laboriously removed by grouting with a grouting material. Other expensive post-casting operations in the form of finishing and cleaning are also required.
Some attempts to solve the leakage problem thus described may be found by having reference to the following patents; U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,370,174; 3,643,909; and 3,482,813, above-referenced. These attempts have not been entirely successful, however, for various reasons.